Love Walked In (Stevens Book 7)

Chapter 15

The next morning Norah woke to the smell of bacon and coffee and for the first time since she was a young girl she felt whole.  She slowly got up and dressed, carrying her sketch book and pencils with her as she entered the kitchen.

It was early still, only about six-thirty, but she wasn't surprised to find both Rainer and Caleb in the kitchen.  They were laughing about something as she entered the room and Caleb turned to her with a happy smile.

"Good morning beautiful, did we wake you?" He looked back at the bacon he was pushing around the frying pan.  The off handed way he called her beautiful was more convincing than if he had surrounded it with flowery words.

"No." She sat her things down on the kitchen table and went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"So Rainer, why are you and Alice in town?" Norah asked before taking a sip.

"I am lecturing at UT today.  The Journalism department is eager to hear all about my many exploits overseas."

Norah nodded as she took a piece of toast and headed to the table.

"You're welcome to join Alice.  I think she's planning on attending."

"But before that you promised to help me out with that article remember," Caleb threw over his shoulder.

"I remember since I was the one to suggest it," Rainer said, taking a sip of his coffee and watching Norah covertly.

Norah sat back and watched the two brothers discuss many different topics at breakfast and eventually she picked up her sketch book and started to draw the two of them as they leaned in towards each other, both trying to make an important point in the conversation.

Then she drew Scarlett as she looked up adorningly at Caleb and his last piece of bacon.

Eventually, Alice walked in yawning. "Why are you all up so early?" she groaned as she slumped at the table.

"There's my love, isn't she glorious in the morning?" Rainer teased and was rewarded by a piece of toast headed in the general direction of his head. "Now Alice dear, this is not our home and it's not polite to throw food." She looked up at him with a look that would have silenced a lesser man.

"I'm on vacation and no normal person is supposed to wake up early when they are on vacation." She rose and started to get herself a cup of coffee.

"I think that I had better get to work," Norah said rising from her seat.

"Yes, because we are going to hear Rainer talk, then we'll go to lunch and if I can manage to squeeze shopping in there somewhere I will."

"I don't think-,"

"Norah, I need someone to sit with me and hold my hand in support as I watch all the college girls throw themselves at my husband," Alice pleaded not even giving her the chance to make an excuse.

"You mean you need someone to hold you back." Caleb laughed as he rinsed his plate. 

"Last one up has to do the dishes," he said as he grabbed Norah and pulled her from the kitchen.

"They're guests. They shouldn't be doing dishes," Norah hissed.

"They are not guests, they're family, and the sooner you learn that fact my dear the less likely you are to be taken advantage of." Caleb pulled her close planting a kiss on her lips and Norah completely forgot their conversation as she melted into him with a sigh.

"It's a shame I have to go to work," he said as he pulled away and pushed her hair behind her ears.

"I don't think it matters, it appears that Alice has plans for me."